Monday, June 16, 2008

An old friend takes orbit

Legendary Steelers broadcaster Myron Copeland always thought the Steelers were out of this world. Now the same can be said of him.The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported today the there's a little piece of sky with Copeland's name on it. Actually its a minor planet — distant asteroid 1993 MC — that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter.Officially named 7835 Myroncope in honor of Cope, Dr. Eric Mamajek of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass. wanted to memorialize the man whose has meant so much to so many Steelers fans.

Too small to be seen by the naked eye, 7835 Myroncope is small and distant — only 3 miles wide and as close as 88 million miles from Earth, although its elliptical orbit can take it as far away as 387 million miles.

Dr. Mamajek said that while there's no chance of Myroncope colliding with Earth, "a direct impact at Cleveland Browns Stadium can perhaps not be ruled out."